There were no walls, ceiling, or floor. The perception of space-time did not exist. A deep darkness enveloped two presences that were illuminated by a weak light of unknown origin. This could be a dream. This could be a nightmare. Regardless of which one it was, it was not something common to happen.
-What is justice for you? - The voice of one of the silhouettes echoed through the darkness. Like its appearance, its voice was undefined. The high and the low blended together, making that sound somewhat non-human.
-A personal perception.- Von, who seemed to be in a trance, answered the figure next to him.
That moment could be seen as an interrogation. A kind of reflection or just madness going on inside Von's mind. He couldn't explain it if they asked, but if he could, he would know that this was the beginning of the end.
-Do you believe in happy endings? -The shadow asked Von.
-Happy endings are a lie. -
-You know you're going to break eventually, don't you? - There was no emotion in their voices, they were both apathetic.
-Everything that was meant to break has already broken. -
-Why do you make yourself so lonely? -
-It's easier to stay alive alone. -
-Isn't being lonely sad? -
-I can't say for sure, I've always been lonely. -
-But do you feel lonely? -
-I don't think so. -
-Wouldn't you like to be happy? -
-Happiness is a passing illusion. -
-What is the name of this passing illusion? -
...
*silence*
...
-Soph...-
.
.
Moonlight entered through the small window of the cabin, illuminating the two of them on the mattress.
Sophie had slept sitting up. She did not notice the time passing as she stroked Von's long brown hair. She had not left that position since she had laid Von's head on her legs.
The redhead's concern for the well being of the assassin outweighed even her own well being. Even though she had not participated in any confrontations or physically stressful situations that day, the emotional stress she felt when she thought Von had died had been exhausting for her.
Since returning to the cabin, Sophie had tended to Von's unconscious body. She cleaned up Klen's excess blood that had soaked into the assassin's face and hair. She searched Von's body for any wounds she could tend to, but found nothing.
She spent the rest of the day stroking the man's hair, until, tired, she fell asleep sitting against the cold wall of the ship.
.
.
.
As if awakening from a deep trance, Von slowly opened his eyes. As his perception returned to normal, the sweet smell of Sophie, with the strong odor of Klen's blood traces mingled in his nostrils, creating a warm, funereal aroma. Perhaps this was the smell of death.
Although he was unconscious, Von remembered perfectly everything that had happened. He remembered from the moment he choked himself to the moment he touched Niero's katana and felt all the pain filling his body.
When he opened his eyes fully he realized that he was lying on Sophie's thighs. He wondered about this. How dominated Von was being by this woman? She had him to herself twice in one day.
Von was replaying in his mind the dialogue he had while he was sleeping. He couldn't tell if it was his conscience or some higher being, but he would admit to himself that those questions made him think.
The assassin never agreed with the common sense attributed to the term "justice". In society's view, a mercenary from the Cermina underworld could be more detestable than the unscrupulous members of the High Command.
Justice for him was always interpreted as his own law. What he thought was just, he did. What he thought was unjust, he did. Nothing stopped Von.
Bloodhound was not afraid of breaking, he was already broken. He always assumed the worst for his existence. He felt that his future had won the lottery of misfortune.
Although he acknowledged that he was a man of many good fortunes in his life, he couldn't really feel it. He really was lucky when it came to survival, but for him, the constant worry about his own survival made his lack of luck evident.
Happiness... What would a happy ending be? A pleasant death? Wealth and tranquility until you grow old? A family with a wife and children to inherit his legacy and his curses? All these concepts of happiness seemed vague to Von. As he stared at the cabin walls, he tried to imagine his ideal life. He was surprised when he saw all the possibilities that he had been pondering over the past few minutes. All the scenarios proposed in his mind somehow involved Sophie's presence.
Happiness was a passing illusion, and this illusion had a name. The name of the woman who had him in her care.
When he realized how much time he had spent thinking about those things while snuggled against Sophie's thighs, he quietly got up so as not to wake her. She looked exhausted, he thought.
Von considered himself a selfish man, and was often proud of his selfishness. But as he watched her sitting up sleeping, he felt disgusted by his selfishness. He knew that what happened that morning between the two of them could happen any time he wished. It would be pleasurable, but it would not be fair. Not only her feelings, with his, had already become so mixed up that it was dangerous. They could both hurt each other with this confusion.
Feelings that had not been named yet.
Disgust over his selfishness arose from his fear. Von was afraid of hurting Sophie. Both emotionally and physically, the assassin felt a hostile energy filling his existence. This energy made him rethink his self-control. He couldn't tell what this could mean, but even without answers to his questions, he decided to resume the boundary between himself and Sophie.
He took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as if he was emptying his body of all those dilemmas.
Von took some clean clothes from his suitcase and walked to the bathroom, he needed to take a shower.
.
.
With the towel over his face and blocking his view, Von stepped out of the bathroom while drying his long brown hair. A cold shower always helped him put his feet on the ground. Although a cold shower in winter was torturous, it was invigorating.
As he removed the towel from his face, he noticed the empty cabin. Sophie was no longer there. Von was internally grateful for this, for he was not in the mood for conversation about the confrontation with the Dendalian traitor.
Like a chill running down his spine after an icy breath in the back of his head, a specific piece of information came to the surface of Von's mind: the note from Norgard.
Von remembered the note he was supposed to memorize while on his journey. He wouldn't know what those symbols and coordinates were about, but he knew for sure that it was something important.
The Bloodhound threatened to open his suitcase to get the letter, but stopped what he was about to do the instant he heard the noise of the cabin door opening.
-The redhead entered the cabin and closed the door with her left foot. In her hands she carried a tray with a bottle of water, fruit, and a piece of roasted fish. - You haven't eaten all day, so I thought I would bring you a few things. - Sophie's face revealed the affection she had for the man in front of her.
-You didn't need...-
-I know I didn't need to bring you anything, but I did anyway.- Sophie interrupted Von's sentence while keeping a gentle smile on her lips.
-Thank you.- Von observed Sophie's gesture as a sign that things had already gotten out of hand, and that in fact, the boundary that he had thought about taking back a few minutes ago was already destroyed.
Sophie left the tray of food on the nightstand beside the bed, and walked over to Von.
-I suppose you're exhausted and don't want to talk about the fight with Niero, so I won't ask anything.- Sophie stroked Von's cheek with her right hand. -I'm just glad you're okay. -
After saying this, Sophie kissed Von's lips gently.
This kiss could be identified as the same as all the others the two assassins had kissed, but it said much more than it seemed to. That kiss demonstrated Sophie's point of view about their relationship.
Relationship?
No matter how much he denied it, Von would admit that yes, somehow he was in a relationship with Sophie. At least that was what she seemed to believe.
Von knew that questioning that kiss would make no sense at all.Everything that occurred in that cabin as the sun rose clearly showed that of all the lines Von could not cross, the most dangerous one had been crossed.
Whether it was a dead end or not, he couldn't tell. He just returned the kiss as if this exchange of affection was a habitual part of his life with Sophie.
-Where are the others?- Von slowly pulled their faces apart, changing the subject so as not to make the kissing moment something special.
-Liz and Tilian have been securing the cargo since you resolved the situation, and Gior is still at the helm.- Von's body threatened to shiver when he felt the warm air coming out of Sophie's mouth, which threatened another kiss on his lips.
-Then it must be our turn.- Von shifted his face subtly to the right, avoiding the second kiss.
Sophie took a deep breath. She was tired of Von's dodging. She was tired of this cat and mouse game. He made it seem like his relationship with her was just a cruel game, where she was the piece and he was the master of the game.
- Yes, it must be. - The redhead gave up. It wouldn't be worth insisting for more affection, at least not at this time.
Von took a bottle of water and some apples from the tray and walked to the door, motioning for Sophie to follow him.